KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Chandler Whitmer might have proved that he is much better than the quarterback who played the first three games for UConn. Or he might simply have exposed the Western Michigan defense the same way his predecessor did last year.

The former would be much more palatable for the Huskies.

Whitmer threw for 333 yards, completed 28 of 44 passes and connected on the first three touchdowns of his UConn career in Saturday's 30-24 loss at Western Michigan. But it's worth noting that Johnny McEntee threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns against the Broncos last year and never turned that into anything.

It's still probably wrong to dismiss Whitmer's performance as an anomaly.

More like a giant leap. The Huskies opened up the offense a bit, allowing Whitmer to throw downfield often. That was partially due to having to try to overcome a pair of 17-point deficits, but it was also partially due to Whitmer finding some rhythm.

He latched onto Geremy Davis, which proved to be a good combination. Davis caught nine passes for a career-best 123 yards and a touchdown. Shakim Phillips also made his presence known, catching four balls for 42 yards. Overall, Whitmer hit four different receivers and both of his tight ends with at least three passes.

And his receivers let him down sometimes, dropping a number of passes in key situations. Ultimately, it's hard to come to any conclusion other than that Whitmer was good.

"The guys up front played well," said Whitmer, possibly being too nice after being sacked six times. "Geremy, Shak and the receivers made nice plays. Coach had faith in us throwing the ball and opened it up for us. I just have to continue to improve."

A simple look at the drive chart shows Whitmer had control of things as the Huskies finally sustained some offense. They had four drives of 60 or more yards.

On point: The key play in the game came when Whitmer was blindsided, fumbled and watched as Desmond Bozeman rumbled 53 yards for a touchdown after getting the sack and the loose ball. It killed a UConn drive and turned a 24-17 game into a 30-17 one.

"It's just a lack of execution," Masters said. "I think we had the proper protection. I don't think everybody took care of their responsibilities. It led to a negative play and that's unacceptable."

Feasting: Though the Huskies have lost to Western Michigan in consecutive seasons, their offense looks awfully good against the Broncos. It brings up the argument about whether the naysayers want offense or wins.

In addition to Whitmer's 333 passing yards and Davis' 123 receiving yards, running back Lyle McCombs had 119 yards on the ground. The last time the Huskies had such production was last year against the Broncos when McEntee threw for the 300 yards, Kashif Moore had eight catches for 112 yards and McCombs ran for 136.

Extra points: Western Michigan secured its first home win over a BCS team, but BCS teams rarely play at Waldo Stadium. The last one to do so was Indiana in 2007 ... The UConn defense entered the game leading the nation in tackles for loss with 32. It had two Saturday. It hadn't given up more than 258 yards in a game but allowed the Broncos to roll up 330 ... Kickoff was delayed by about 35 minutes because of severe thunderstorms. By halftime, the sun was out and skies had cleared.

Follow Us

Post a reader comment

We encourage your feedback and dialog. Please be civil and respectful.If you're witty, to the point and quotable, your reader comments may also be included on the Around the Towns page of The Sunday Republican. Readers must be registered and logged in to post comments on the site. Registration is free. Click Here to register.
A Subscription is not required to post comments only a Registration.